Rotary pump or engine



Aug. 17, 1937. C, WHEATLEY 2,090,276`v ROTARY PUMP 0R ENGINE Filed July 20, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.'

@hawks Wkaey,

ATTO RN EY.

Aug. 17, 1937. c. WHEATLEY ROTARY PUMP 0R ENGINE Filed July 20, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Charles Wzealey, l

ATTORNEY.

Aug. 17, 1937.

I ill'" l w l llllllllmlllllm@ C. WHEATLEY ROTARY PUMP OR ENGINE Filed July 20, 1936 s sheets-sheet s ffm AIrToRNEY.

Patented Aug. 17, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

My invention lrelates to a rotary pump or engine 'and one object is to provide a machine of this character which may, when power is applied thereto, be utilized for pumping Water, air,

or other fluid, or for transmitting power when supplied Witha motive uid, such for instance,`

as steam, compressed air, or the like.

Another object is to provide a machine o-f this character with one or more cylinders in each of which a'rotor is operably mounted. -Where a multiple of cylinders are employed the rotors are gearedtogether so that they will operate at the samevspeed and if desired one cylinder may be 1., suppliedwith motivev fluid to drive the rotor therein so that it in turn will drive the companion rotors for pumping or other purposes. A further object is to provide a machine of this characterwith a single r'ctaryvalve adapted a to `,control the flow of iiuid 'through all kof the cylindersof themachine.'

order that the invention may befully understood, reference will now be hadto the accompanying drawings. in which: Fig.'l""s` a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 with some of the parts in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a broken vertical cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with some of the parts in elevation. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine.

In carrying out the invention I provide a pedestal 2 provided in the present instance with an upper centrally disposed groove 4 and laterally disposed grooves 6 and 8 arranged below and at right angles to the groove 4. The grooves 4, 6 and 8 are equally spaced from a shaft I8 journaled in a bearing 9 and a bearing I2, which latter is located Within the pedestal 2.

I4, I6 and I8 designate cylinders having bases 20, 22 and 24 fitting snugly within the grooves 4, 6 and 8 and provided with flanges 23, 25 and 26, respectively, which are bolted or otherwise firmly secured to the pedestal 2. The cylinder I4 is arranged in a vertical plane while the cylinders I6 and I8 are arranged in a horizontal plane as best shown by Fig. 1. For convenience the pedestal 2 and the cylinders I4, I6 and I8 are made in halves which are removably connected by suitable means such as bolts 21 and 29, re-

spectively. As the cylinders I4, I6 and I8 and their internal mechanisms are alike I will proceed to describe but one in detail.

As shown by Fig. 2 the cylinder I4 has an annular chamber 28 communicating at its lower Other'objects will hereinafter 'appear andin portion with an inlet 30 and an outlet 32 which, preferably, are arranged in axial alinement with each other as shown. The inlets 380i the cylinders I4, I6 and I8 communicate with a manifold 3| and Vall of the outlets32 communicate with a manifold 33. w v l n Arranged concentricallywithin the cylinder I4 is a rotor 34 preferably of disk-likeformation and provided with a peripheral head 38 adapted to traverse the chamber 28.v Packing rings40 l0 embrace the head 38 to preventnleakagerof fluid past the same when traversing' the annular cham,- ber 28. 'Ihe rotor 34 is xed upon an axially disposed shaft 42 extending transverselyr through the cylinder I4, which latter has stuffing boxes 15 44 located at each side thereof to prevent leakage of uid around the shaft 42.

Suitable gearing such Aas bevel gears 46` and IlIiafare fixed to the yrespective ends of the' shaft 42. The bevel gear 46 intermeshesvwith a similar 20 gear 48 vxed upon a verticalvv shaft 150 extending axially through the cylinder I 6 and provided with a xed rotor 34a like the rotor 34,@ The bevel gear 46a intermeshes with `a s'imilar; gearj 52y xedupon a verticalshaft`54 extendingaxially g5 through the cylinder I8 and equipped with a redly mounted rotor 34h like the rotors 34 and 3 a.

The shafts 42, 50 and 54 are journaled in bearings fixed to the upper portion of the pedestal 30 2. The shafts 50 and 54 are also journaled in bearings 62 and 64, respectively, secured to opposite sides of the pedestal 2.

66 designates a rotary valve which is common to the cylinders I4, I6 and I8 and xed upon the 35 shaft I0. The rotary valve 66 /is of disk-like formation and provided with a peripheral gap or aperture 68 through which the respective rotor heads 38 pass in sequence during each revolution of said valve 66 and the rotor heads. 40

The rotary valve 66 is adapted to prevent uid from passing directly from the inlets 30 to the outlets 32 of the respective cylinders, and for that purpose projects into transverse slots 12, 'I4 and 'I6 arranged in the cylinder bases 20, 22 and 24 45 midway between the respective inlets 30 and outlets 32, Figs. 2 and 3.

Timing gears'lB and BI), fixed upon shaft I0 and a shaft 82, respectively, serve to drive the rotary valve 66 at such speed as to successively 50 carry the aperture 68 into position to allow the respective rotor heads 38 to pass in proper order. The shaft 82 is mounted in bearings 84 and provided at one end with a fixed pulley 8B and at its opposite end with a fixed bevel gear 88 which 55 meshes with a bevel gear xed upon the shaft 54. The pulley 86 may be used for transmitting power to the machine when the same is to be employed as a pump, or it may be used for transmitting power from the machine when the latter is operated as an engine.

By setting the rotor heads 38 in proper relation to each other and the aperture 68 and driving the rotors 34, 34a, 34h and the Valve 66 at the same speed, there will be no danger'of the rotor heads 38 colliding with they valve 66 when the machine is in operation, as the aperture B8 is of suiiicient length to permit the passage of each rotor head in its proper turn.

From the foregoing description taken inv connection with the drawings it is apparent that my machine may be utilized as a'pump, or asan' engine, or both as a pump and an engine when,y

It is also apparent that the rotors 34 'may be driven either in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction and when driven in the latterdirection the inlet 30 becomes the outlet and the outlet 32 becomes the inlet. It is also apparent that the machine will operate successfully when equipped with but one cylinder and one rotor instead of a multiple thereof as shown.

While Ihave shown one form of my invention I reserve all rights to such other forms and modiiications as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thusodescribed my invention,l what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a machine of the character described, a pedestal provided with a central upper groove and laterally disposed grooves arranged below and at right angles to said upper groove, cylinders having bases secured within said grooves and each cylinder having an annular `chamber' provided with an inlet and an outlet, a rotor mounted in each cylinder and provided with a head adapted to traverse the annular chamber, a journaled shaft arranged centrally between the grooves in the pedestal, and a rotary valve xed upon said shaft and arranged transversely to and adapted to close the annular chambers, said valve having an aperture with respect to which the rotor heads are so positioned as to pass through said aperture in sequence at each revolution.

2. In a machine of the character described, a pedestal provided With a central upper groove and laterally disposed grooves arranged below and at right angles to said upper groove, cylinders having bases secured within said grooves and each cylinder having` an annular .chamber provided with an inlet and an outlet, a rotor mounted in each cylinder and provided With a head adapted to .traverse the annular chamber, a vjournaled 'shaft arranged centrally between the grooves in Y the pedestal, a shaft on which each rotor is xed, intermeshing gearing on the shafts to in` sure equal speed thereof, a rotary valve in the pedestal fixed upon said shaft and arranged transversely to and adapted to close the annular chambers, said valve having an aperture with respect to which the rotor heads are so positioned as to pass through said aperture in selateral grooves, each cylinder having an annular chamber communicating with an inlet and an outlet, a rotor mounted in each cylinder and provided With a head adapted to traverse the an-y nular chamber, a journaled shaft arranged centrally between the grooves in the pedestal, a-rotary valve fixed-upon said shaft andarranged transversely to and adapted to close the annular chambers, said valve having an aperture with respect' to which the rotor heads are so positioned as to pass through said aperture in. sequence at 'S11 each revolution, and gearing whereby the rotors and said valve are caused to rotate atthe same speed.

CHARLES WHEA'I'LEY. 

